Endoglucanases (EC No. 3.2.1.4) constitute a group of hydrolases, which catalyse endo hydrolysis of 1,4-.beta.-D-glycosidic linkages in cellulose, cellulose derivatives (such as carboxy methyl cellulose and hydroxy ethyl cellulose), lichenin, .beta.-1,4 bonds in mixed .beta.-1,3 glucans such as cereal .beta.-D-glucans or xyloglucans and other plant material containing cellulosic parts. The authorized name is endo-1,4-.beta.-D-glucan 4-glucano hydrolase, but the abbreviated term endoglucanase is used in the present specification. Reference can be made to T.-M. Enveri, "Microbial Cellulases" in W. M. Fogarty, Microbial Enzymes and Biotechnology, Applied Science Publishers, p. 183-224 (1983); Methods in Enzymology, (1988) Vol. 160, p. 200-391 (edited by Wood, W. A. and Kellogg, S. T.); Beguin, P., "Molecular Biology of Cellulose Degradation", Annu. Rev. Microbiol. (1990)., Vol. 44, pp. 219-248; Beguin, P. and Aubert, J-P., "The biological degradation of cellulose", FEMS Microbiology Reviews 13 (1994) p.25-58; Henrissat, B., "Cellulases and their interaction with cellulose", Cellulose (1994), Vol. 1, pp. 169-196. Celluloses are found in connection with many gums and they are components of cell walls in e.g. fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Endoglucanases have been found to be produced by various types of organisms such as plants and microorganisms, and endoglucanases of a wide variety of specificities have been identified.
Fungal endoglucanases have been described by Sheppard, P. O., et al., "The use of conserved cellulase family-specific sequences to clone Cellulase homologue cDNAs from Fusarium oxysporum, Gene, (1994), Vol. 15, pp. 163-167, Saloheimo, A., et al., "A novel, small endoglucanase gene, egI5, from Trichoderma reesei isolated by expression in yeast", Molecular Microbiology (1994), Vol. 13(2), pp. 219-228; van Arsdell, J. N. et al, (1987), Cloning, characterization, and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of endoglucanase I from Trichoderma reesei, Bio/Technology 5: 60-64; Penttila, M. et al., (1986), "Homology between cellulase genes of Trichoderma reesei: complete nucleotide sequence of the endoglucanase I gene", Gene 45:253-263; Saloheimo, M. et al, (1988), "EGIII, a new endoglucanase from Trichoderma reesei: the characterization of both gene and enzyme", Gene 63:11-21; Gonzales, R., et al., "Cloning, sequence analysis and yeast expression of the egl1 gene from Trichoderma longibrachiatum", Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., (1992), Vol. 38, pp. 370-375; Ooi, T. et al. "Cloning and sequence analysis of a cDNA for cellulase (FI-CMCase) from Aspergillus aculeatus", Curr. Genet., (1990), Vol. 18, pp. 217-222; Ooi, T. et al, "Complete nucleotide sequence of a gene coding for Aspergillus aculeatus cellulase (FI-CMCase)", Nucleic Acids Research, (1990), Vol. 18, No. 19, p. 5884; Xue, G. et al., "Cloning and expression of multiple cellulase cDNAs from the anaerobic rumen fungus Neocallimastix patriciarum in E. coli", J. Gen. Microbiol., (1992), Vol. 138, pp. 1413-1420; Xue, G. et al., "A novel polysaccharide hydrolase cDNA (celD) from Neocallimastix patriciarum encoding three multi-functional catalytical domains with high endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase and xylanase activities", J. Gen. Microbiol., (1992), Vol. 138, pp. 2397-2403; Zhou, L. et al., "Intronless celB from the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix patriciarum encodes a modular family A endoglucanase", Biochem. J., (1994), Vol. 297, pp. 359-364; Dalboge, H. and Heldt-Hansen, H. P., "A novel method for efficient expression cloning of fungal enzyme genes", Mol. Gen. Genet., (1994), Vol. 243, pp. 253-260; Ali, B. R. S. et al., "Cellulases and hemicellulases of the anaerobic fungus Piromyces constitute a multiprotein cellulose-binding complex and are encoded by multigene families", FEMS Microbiol. Lett., (1995), Vol. 125, No. 1, pp. 15-21.
WO 91/17243 (Novo Nordisk A/S) discloses a cellulase preparation consisting of a homogenous endoglucanase component immunoreactive with an antibody raised against a highly purified 43 kDa endoglucanase derived from Humicola insolens, DSM 1800.
WO 91/17244 (Novo Nordisk A/S) discloses a new (hemi)-cellulose degrading enzyme, such as an endoglucanase, a cellobiohydrolase or a .beta.-glucosidase, which may be derived from fungi other that Trichoderma and Phanerochaete.
WO 93/20193 discloses an endoglucanase derivable from Aspergillus aculeatus.
WO 94/00578 (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) describes a method for cloning a cellulase with the activity of anaerobic rumen fungi, which includes Neocallimastix patriciarum.
WO 94/14953 (Novo Nordisk A/S) describes a fungal endoglucanase for degrading or modifying plant cell wall components, e.g. for producing wine or juice etc. The endoglucanase may be derived from Aspergillus aculeatus, CBS 101.43.
WO 94/21801 (Genencor Inc.) concerns a cellulase system isolated from Trichoderma longibranchiatum exhibiting endoglucanase activity.
WO 94/26880 (Gist Brocades N.V.) discloses an isolated mixture of cellulose degrading enzymes, which preferable are obtained from Trichoderma, Aspergillus or Disporotrichum, comprising endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and xyloglucanase activity.
WO 95/02043 (Novo Nordisk A/S) describes an enzyme with endoglucanase activity derived from Trichoderma harzianum, which can be used for a number of purposes including e.g. degradation or modification of plant cell walls.
Kang, M. G., Park, H. M., Kim, Y. S, Lee, J. R., Kim, Y. K., Lee, Y. H.: Abstract from 94th General Meeting, American Society Microbiology, K-112, 1994, discloses the strain Cephalosporium sp., RYM-202, and the purification of 3 cellulases (EC 3.2.1.4, P-I, P-II, P-III) having optimum pH values in the alkaline range.
In Peberdy, J. F., (1987), is disclosed that Cephalosporium species are generally speaking now renamed Acremonium with some exceptions.
Endoglucanases are widely used industrially, e.g. within the detergent industry, in the textile industry, in paper pulp processing and in the food and feed industry.
There is an ever existing need for providing novel endoglucanases, preferably in single-component or mono-component form, which may be used for applications where a single or dominating endoglucanase activity is desirable.
The object of the present invention is to provide novel enzymes having substantial cellulolytic activity at alkaline conditions and improved performance in paper pulp processing, textile treatment, laundry processes and/or in animal feed; preferably novel mono-component cellulases, more preferably mono-component endoglucanases, which may be produced by recombinant techniques.